Rowers on the River
by jackiangasm247
Summary: The age old battle between men, but with oars instead of swords or guns. Two men fight for not only pride, but the girl sitting in the stern of the boat. Let the Boat Race Begin... M for you know what...
1. Prologue

_**DISCLAIMER: We just love the characters, SMeyer Owns them**_

_**HELLO! COLLAB TIME! Both me and the AWESOME Mouse555 have worked on this, and there will be more chapters, of course! Enjoy!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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_**Alice POV**_

I kept my head down as I wandered through the quadrangle, half-wondering why it was nobody had noticed me at the last three meetings. Sighing, I drew my coat around me, far tighter than I had last night, and nibbled on my bottom lip, the safe gluey feeling of Vaseline-Lip-Balm and Hot Chocolate making me feel as though I belonged in this world.

Cambridge was cold in the winds of September, and the spaces between the buildings were simply wind tunnels asking to knock you off your feet. I shuddered harder as I let out a sigh and watched my breath fogging up before me.

"It can't be that cold," I murmured to nobody in particular, hoping that by mentioning it, I would be able to imagine my problems away. "Really," I carried on muttering to myself as I let my legs carry me to my favourite Cafe on campus. It was near the railway station, and not too far from the Botanic garden, so I could sit and sketch in solitude for as long as I wished.

I wouldn't be surprised if people started muttering about Mary-Alice Brandon, the crazy art-student who couldn't keep quiet long enough to even walk somewhere. I would, quite clearly, be outcast once more, and I blamed myself entirely for it. Stupidly trusting my roommates with my past, telling them what I thought I trust them to keep safe...

Sighing, once again, I stumbled across the road, hoping I didn't lose my mobile from my bag as I tripped and collapsed over the kerb again. My hair caught about my face and I sighed, turning down the street and making my way to the river, hoping I could catch a softer light and better breeze down at my favourite spot.

"Hey! Ali!" I turned to see Emmett running toward me, his backpack flying in every direction but the one it probably should have been. "Ali, wait up...shit!" He tripped over his own foot in his pursuit of me.

"What, Emmett?" I smiled up at him, though I was slightly irritated that my happy... okay, tranquil time alone, had been intruded upon. "And if you mention the club at all, I'm going to kill you."

"Following in the footsteps of your father, are you Brandon?" A rough voice made me jump out of my skin; sneering from behind me and making me feel so sick as his arm shoved violently into my shoulder. "Nice to see that murder runs in the family."

I hadn't realised we were so close to the river. It was nice to stare out into the glistening sunshine as he shouted things at me, watch the young guy who was rowing a couple across from one side of the Cam to the other. Emmett was stunned into silence – he, of course, had no idea, because hell, I wasn't sharing this with everyone...

_Apparently Tyler Crowley was. _

"Well, Brandon? Are you gonna fess up?" I cringed as he shoved me again, and I heard the crunch of my Thermos as it fell to the floor in my well-worn bag. Apparently, we were making quire the racket, because a voice made me freeze under the shoving and pushing, stumbling and falling to my knees beside Crowley's furious shouts.

"Hey! Arsehole!" Crowley turned at the voice and I couldn't help but stare at the shaggy-haired lunatic who was standing up in his boat, struggling to stay upright. I could see his anger turn to panic as he rose and his body did exactly the opposite of what he wanted it to do.

His wind milling arms made me smile as he shouted out again.

"Lea-leave her a-a-aloo-" With an epic and awesome splash, he was gone. I looked over at Emmett, who had collapsed almost immediately, rolling on his back like a beetle, wriggling and shaking, his guffaw filling the surrounding peace and shattering it.

"Oh, fuck this," Crowley kicked out at my bag after a second, then turned on his heel and wandered off in the direction of the railway station. Slowly, I rose to see a bedraggled blonde rising awkwardly in the waist deep water, soaked down to the skin in his white button-down and black jeans. Biting my bottom lip, I picked up my bag and almost sprinted across the lawn, reaching down the bank to try and pull him up. _Like my five-two, eight-stone pixie frame was gonna help out here._

"Hey, hey, you okay?" His words were smooth and soft and I was almost sold on him already. His hand was clamped around mine, and that's where his eyes were focussed, but as he looked up at me, his bright green eyes locking with mine... that was it. _He _was it.

"I should be asking you the same thing." I smiled and winked at him, the corners of his lips tugging into a small smile as he saw I was okay.

"No, no, darlin'," He smiled, "I'm used to this. I'm the proverbial Hugh-Grant-Notting-Hill type when it comes to boats..."

"Really?" Emmett's voice sidled into my reply, easily lifting the soaked boater onto the riverside. Resigned, I shook my head, "You looked like a pretty mean rower there..." He paused, "Do you row?"

"Excuse him, he has no manners," I rolled my eyes as I shoved Emmett with my elbow. _OW! _The boy laughed, "I'm Mary Alice, by the way." I held out my hand to him and he smiled, his eyes widening as we touched, electricity running through my hand.

"J-Jasper." He winked again, "But you can call me Jazz."

"Hi," I smiled, suddenly taken by the way his soaking hair was sticking to the lines of his face. We blinked at each other and he smiled again.

"Hi."

"Hey, Jasper?" Emmett's booming made the pair of us turn, and Jazz almost fall off the dock again.

"Uhhuh?" He tilted his head, our hands still joined together.

"Team meetings are Wednesday, you turn up, you get along, and I'll be glad to let you date Ms. Pixie, here." He winked at me, then at Jasper, then grabbed my arm and practically pulled us apart.

I smiled apologetically, and sighed as I found myself on my feet once more.

"Er...ok." He shrugged, "Rowing, right?" Emmett nodded, "Never thought much about it, but I'll give it a go." Jasper smiled at me. "On one condition."

"What's that?" Emmett's persistence was getting on my nerves now. "My band is playing a gig at the SU tonight and we never get much of a turn out. Come along and I'll come to your team meeting." I grinned, this Jasper could barter.

Emmett stared at him for a minute, narrowing his eyes just a little way, then realising that Jasper wouldn't be one to back down, laughed and nodded.

"Done," He grinned, "Now, go get changed. You're soaked."

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	2. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: We own this not. We do, however, own pictures of a hottie-on-a-punt which I took on Tuesday when I wandered off to Cambridge…**_

_**Onto the chapter? Ah Oui!**_

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**Chapter 1 - JPOV**

As per usual, I hit the alarm beside my bed with too much force and groaned as it fell onto the floor in pieces. Sitting up and wondering why I had set my alarm so early, I grinned as I realised I'd booked the day off to chill before the gig tonight.

What to do? I had a few bits of coursework that I needed to get done. I could always head outside and sit on the quad, music in my ears_. Bliss._ I headed into the bathroom for a shower.

Once I was done, I grabbed my bag and my guitar. The warmth of the September sun helped to stop the soft wind make me feel too cold. I headed over to one of the picnic tables and pulled my stuff out and spread it around me.

I must have been sat there for a few hours, my toes tapping away to my iPod as I scribbled relentlessly to the beat. I'd recently discovered a new band online. 100Monkeys' music was catchy and the singer's voice could portray almost any emotion. I'd put their album Grape on repeat and let the music surround me.

My assignment on Global Music Culture was finished, all I needed to do was get it typed up and hand it in. I checked my diary, and because I was up to date, I decided to dump my stuff back in my room and head over to the SU for lunch and see who was around.

The bar was fairly quiet so I managed to get onto one of the rough and ready leather sofas, propping my guitar against it and hurrying to grab my food and a coffee. I sank into the sofa and attacked the tasteless food. It did what I needed it to do, fill the hole.

I sat back, full to bursting, and pulled a well worn paperback out of my guitar case, reading while I drank my coffee. Ever since my dad had introduced me to the classics, I'd been addicted. I was currently re-reading Frankenstein for about the hundredth time. I was a voracious reader, and would even read the back of the ketchup bottle if there was nothing else about.

"Hey, dude." A loud voice pulled me out of my little bubble. A huge, tanned mountain of a man was grinning at me like a Cheshire cat. _Did I know him?_ Maybe I'd punted him and he remembered me. I watched as he folded himself onto the sofa opposite me and put a huge plate full of chicken and pasta on the table.

"Er, hey." I flicked through memories of boat trips, he wasn't among them. I was sure I'd remember him, he was fucking huge!

"Gig still on tonight?" He indicated my guitar as he shovelled the pure carbohydrate into his mouth. I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd eaten the actual plate.

"Yeah, as far as I know." I knew I was staring at him, but I couldn't stop. He was huge, and the way he was eating was practically mesmerizing. _Why in the hell did he care about the gig? _

"Well, we'll be there, and then Emmett says you have to come to the team meeting tomorrow. Then, we'll sort out your date with Pixie Sticks." Team meet? Date? What was this bloke on about? And I really wished he wouldn't eat with his mouth open. Then it hit me, the memory of the freezing cold water of the Cam soaking me head to toe. He must have been one of the Rowers. One of those hulking guys I saw training on the river. Pixie Sticks was Mary-Alice.

"Great, er… What was your name again?" I asked, racking my brains.

"I'm Embry, Embry Call. Emmett's second. The meet's at three, will you be all recovered by then?" His dropped his fork onto his empty plate. I had truly never seen someone eat so much food so quickly.

"Yeah, should be ok, the gig finishes at ten so I'll be good."

_What was I letting myself in for?_

I watched the heavy duty dude wander off; narrowly avoiding the pool table and the skinny idiot that attempted to hit him hard with the cue before he could squeeze past them. _Idiot. _I couldn't help wondering where Mary-Alice fit into this, the tiny girl who looked as though she weighed about four-stone soaking wet, and was nicknamed 'Pixie', by pretty much all of the mountain men she knew. Did she have a thing for big men? They say opposites attract… If so, where would I fit in? I was no where near as huge as Emmett or Embry. Yeah, I was tall, but long days in the studio working on compositions and evening locked away in my room or gigging had left me pretty weedy. The only exercise I seemed to get was at work. Pushing those poles were a good workout, and using them to punt fat Americans up and down the river soon brought me out into a sweat.

Sighing, once again, and rolling my eyes to the point where I was sure I had strained some kind of optical nerve. I'd have to ask Edward about that later on – he knew about everything medical and was some kind of freaky genius at it, unfortunately for us.

Glancing up at the clock and looking over at the now filling bar, I decided that I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, before returning with the guys for the gig. I wasn't exactly sure where I was headed. Instead, I let my feet follow the road, and found myself stumbling out of town and into the botanic gardens with my guitar, keeping my head down and pretending that I actually had a purpose here. Quickly, I found myself a seat on one of the smaller lawns, wishing I had a blanket or something so I could look as though I hadn't come alone, though, obviously, I didn't, and I felt like a complete loser.

"Hey!" A small, familiar voice called out to me, and I turned around, feeling my face heat up, "You can't sit on the grass!" Still staring around for the origin of the voice, I found my eyes settling on the rather large sign that had, in glaring block capitals "KEEP OFF THE GRASS" written across it.

"Damn! I'm sorry!" I yelled out, "I'll… where _are _you?" I wheeled around again as I rose, looking for the source of the voice. There was a rustle in the bushes, and I glanced that way, seeing a very tiny, gorgeous, _pixie-like _woman standing on the mulch, wearing wellington boots and gardening gloves that went almost to her knees and elbows respectively.

"Jasper." She gasped, staring at me as though she had never seen a boy holding a guitar before. "I-I didn't know you came here."

"I…" I shook my head, "Mary-Alice." I managed to stumble over my words as the tiny girl picked her way carefully toward me, her eyes flickering between the grass at her feet and my face as she stepped.

"Call me Alice." She chirped, "Only people that hate me call me Mary." A momentary flash of pain crossed her face and she stumbled, my hands immediately abandoning my guitar to its strap, and catching her.

"You okay?" She nodded, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I need to get new boots; these are borrowed from my friend." I looked at her, she raised her eyebrow back at me, smirking lightly, "Mine ripped at practice last week – the Cam's banks are dangerous when you're not looking where you're placing your feet."

I looked at her blankly and she let out a laugh that was ridiculously high pitched and made her look absolutely insane. I couldn't help but laugh with her although every part of me was questioning exactly what was funny.

"You know, you look like you could use a drink." Smiling, and still calming from her giggles, she held her hand out to me and the guitar, and as I took it, twirling her in circles and making her laugh again, I wondered exactly what kind of parallel universe I had stumbled into.

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	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: No, We don't own it. We do, however, have a mutual passion (cough-obsession-cough) with 100 Monkeys' Music...**

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**Chapter 2 – Alice POV**

The dizziness I was feeling was not just caused by the fact that he kept twirling me. All the way back to the tiny, grotty cabin. I felt myself stumble often, though the way his hands wrapped around mine and the way he held onto my fingers meant that I stayed on my feet far longer than I could have imagined. I finally fell to the floor as my feet found the threshold of the empty staff cabin, and the soles of my shoes remained glued to the disgustingly sticky floor, flapping my arms as I tripped over and saw the ground rushing up to me. I probably bruised my face as it became intimate with the solid wood flooring.

"Mary-Alice, I-are you okay?" His words morphed from confusion to concern as he tried to catch me but couldn't, his fingers grasping at fresh air rather than my waist. I found myself staring up at him from a completely new angle, running a hand through my hair as I tried to beat the embarrassment coursing through me back down to a simple slice of humiliation, rather than the whole pie.

"It's Alice." I reiterated, as I picked myself up from the floor, deliberately brushing up against him as I straightened up, and hoping that the short gasp I heard was from that slow movement, rather than the embarrassing thunk I heard myself making as I slammed my hand onto the table and turned around, "And I think I'm golden. Might need to get the hand checked out," I muttered as I lifted it from the table and saw a small streak of blood on the varnished wood. His long fingers wrapped round my wrist as he caught it in his hand, he looked over at me, blinking slightly as he glanced down at my palm. A flash of pain and concern crossed his face as he saw the purple bruises on my wrists. I didn't want to talk about those, let alone look at them, and I think he knew it, though I think he might have been worried about what it meant for us, if there even was an 'us'. He might have assumed I had a man I was hiding somewhere. _Yeah, sure. _Like that would happen to 'freaky' Mary-Alice.

"What the he-" He held my hand up to my own eye line, as if I had never seen my own bruises before. I'd seen them enough, thank you very much, Jasper.

"Tyler Crowley," I responded flatly, snatching my hand out of his grip, "Now, do you want a drink, or not?" I knew I shouldn't have snapped at him, but it was either that, or start crying. And there was no way I'd let myself do that.

"I had a coffee before I came." He returned snappily, "I'm just trying to help!" I snatched my hands from him and threw them up in the air as looked into his green eyes. He stepped away from me, closer to the door and my hands naturally clenched into fists as I tried to keep him there, with me.

"Did I ask you to help?" I looked over at him, "Look, just go. I'll see you tonight at the gig."

"If you're gonna be all bitchy like that, maybe we shouldn't bother, huh?" He shouted, and I cringed, knowing that I'd sufficiently riled him to make him mad at me. "Maybe it would be better if we forgot all about the whole thing. Forget the gig, forget the meet and… Everything." _That wasn't my intention. _"Bye, _Mary-Alice." _His voice had softened, but his glorious eyes remained hard.

Before I could speak, before I was able to attempt an explanation, he grabbed his guitar and slammed the door to the cabin. I watched as he stalked away, the glass windows still rattling in their panes. I took one look at my bloody fingers and slumped down into the seat, desperate not to cry, but feeling the hot tears trickling down my face as I sat there, my bloody palms against my face in an attempt to stop myself crying.

I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket and pulled it out carefully and slowly, praying I wouldn't need to clean it later. Emmett's name flashed across the screen and I sighed, knowing exactly why he was calling.

"You don't need to go tonight, Emmett," I said instead of a proper greeting.

"What?" His usual boisterous laughter was cut short by the slow sound of my breathing, and the sighs I refused to stop breathing out. "Alice, is..."

"I don't know why I keep doing it!" I found myself shrieking alone in the cabin, laughing mirthlessly as I realised that anyone who walked past at that moment would _definitely _want to call the crazy police on me, because I would have looked and sounded completely mad, streaks of my own blood on the floor and on my face, "But I do!"

"Pixie," his voice was low and it was an attempt to calm me down, "Ali, where are you? Are you okay?"

"Do I sound okay?" I stopped screaming and felt the tears dripping down my face, desperate to stop them from coming. "Well?" I found myself getting even pissier when he didn't respond. "I'm at work, but I really don't want to be."

"Well, I'll come get you, Ali, okay?" I sniffed again and let out a soft 'mm-hmm'. "Good. Now, d'you want to tell me what happened?"

"Not really," I murmured.

"Alice, you know we can't fix it until we talk about it. What happened, Pixie Sticks?" And I swallowed, trying to fight off the pain that was rising and the sickness in my stomach.

"I... I messed up, and I hurt him, Emmett... I made him walk away."

_**Em POV**_

I couldn't bare hearing Alice crying so as soon as she hung up on me, I grabbed my keys and jacket and ran from my dorm to the botanical gardens. As I approached the cabin, I could see her through the grimy window. Hunched over, knees tucked into her tiny frame, sobs racking through her whole body. With a speed that was disguised by my size, I was by her side within seconds.

"Shh. Baby." I wrapped her into my arms and pulled her shaking body into mine.

"I ballsed it up as fucking usual Em." She turned to look at me, her silver-grey eyes swimming with unshed tears. "I pushed him away, now he doesn't want me at the gig tonight."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it hun. Let's get you home, washed up and dressed to kill." I gently pulled her to her feet. "Let him see what he's missing out on eh."

"I don't think so. He does-"

"Alice, you ARE going to this gig, you WILL show him what he's missing and you WILL enjoy yourself. You hear me?" She nodded mutely. A glint appeared in her eye.

"I'll go, but I refuse to enjoy it. You'll be to blame for me having a rubbish night then getting absolutely bladdered." We left the botanical gardens and headed to Alice's dorm. She was going to be fine.

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	4. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: We Don't Own it. I have internet trouble though. Costa has been my Saaaaviahh! ; ) **_

_**Okay, Chapter 3 was the most epic collaborative effort. **_

_**PS. If you miss the Doctor who references, google Matt Smith and David Tennant. It'll enhance this chapter ridiculously. (PPS - Don't Blink!)**_

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Chapter 3 RPOV

I headed over to the SU in trepidation, trying not to give myself false hope. How many student bands had I seen in the last year? They were notoriously awful, and I wasn't expecting this one to be any different, though I suppose going in with preconceived ideas about the poor guys I was going to destroy, was a little bit _too _harsh. Fully justified after the drivel I'd been subjected to, though.

There was already a fair crowd gathered when I made my way to the bar. I was surprised to see the rowers here; they never usually came to these shindigs. They weren't big drinkers, especially during the season which, if I wasn't wrong, had just started. A couple of them turned as I looked across at them, and I looked pointedly away, because I knew a couple of them, and they were bawdy bastards on the rare occasion they got plastered.

I made my way to the bar and ordered a drink from Leah, one of the girls that worked the bar with me at the weekends. Just as I had paid, the band ambled onto the stage, looking as if they had just woken up. I cast my critical eye over them, scruffy buggers. This didn't look promising, I had to admit.

"Hey, we're Don't Blink. Thanks for coming tonight." The youngest and least scruffy looking spoke into the mic, running a hand slowly through his blonde hair. He wielded his guitar as if he actually knew what he was doing, which immediately stunned me because it was a sight I was unused to. Without any fanfare, or epic introductions, the large room was suddenly full of drums and guitar riffs.

Ten minutes was all it took to change my mind on student bands for good. These guys were brilliant – their songs were funny, very lyrical, almost poetic, and annoyingly addictive. I sat at the bar scribbling away in my unreadable shorthand as another member of the band asked the audience for ideas for improv songs, not fearing the groping hands of the women around him. Out of nowhere, the band launched into a song which seemed to be about apple juice, but had come from one word. Whiskey. I began to look at them in a new light.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you all know this piece of music – we've named ourselves because a couple of us," The blonde stared at the drummer and his bassist, his eyebrows raised a little condescendingly, "Have a little bit of a man-crush on The Doctor himself."

"Long live the Tenth!" The drummer yelled, "Matt Smith has shit hair!"

"Who wears a bow tie these days, anyway?" The Bassist chimed in, smirking as he tugged at his own, checkered tie.

"Well, Jerad," The blonde singer muttered into the mic, tugging on his collar, "Looks like I do."

Completely unsure of how to take that, I was stunned by the way they burst into the Dr. Who theme tune, and kept it going adding an extra beat underneath until half of the crowd was laughing and dancing and the other half were staring at the boys bouncing onstage like they were possessed.

I'd never seen a band like this enjoy themselves so much on stage. They were usually so serious and into their "art" to actually have fun in what they do. These guys were a breath of fresh air and I could really see them having a long term career out of this if they kept their shows like this. The audience participation was inspired. I rolled my eyes as I spotted a group of girls had jimmied their way to the front row and were gazing up at the band like stupid teenagers. Which they probably were.

I turned to get myself another drink when my notepad was knocked out of my hand. A tiny dark haired girl bent to pick it up.

"I'm so sorry. I really need to look where I'm going." Her voice was musical and sickeningly cheerful – she looked so ridiculous, that I'd swear she was bouncing as she handed me my pad. "I'm Mary-Alice by the way. Aren't you the girl who writes for the Magdalene paper?" Did she actually breathe during that sentence?

"Hi, Rose." I held out my hand for my pad but she must have misread the signal and took it in her own. I froze, and suddenly she withdrew her hand, her eyes darkening a little bit.

"Oops, sorry, here." She finally handed me my pad. I looked at her eyes to check if she'd taken anything. Everything looked kosher, but it wasn't natural, no one was that chirpy. "What do you think of the band then?" Did she ever stop?

"They're ok." I was deliberately vague. I didn't want anyone to know what I thought until the paper had gone to press. I'd always been like that, but it looked as though it wasn't going to work on this girl.

"I think they're pretty good, you know – I mean, Jasper, the guy who's up there, he's got awesome skills on the guitar, and oh! His Bassist! Very, very Tennant-Who, no matter what anybody says – the same suit, everything – he must be a fanboy," She paused for breath and looked over at Leah, who was staring at the pair of us in a confused, almost downright rude, manner. "Hey! Lee!" She blinked twice and glanced at the Mary-Alice hummingbird-girl. "Can I get two Strawberry Daiquiris please?" A pause, "Put it on the Club's tab?" She glanced at me, "You like strawberries, right?"

"Er, I guess so."

"Good. Drink up." She patted my arm lightly and I looked down at my pad again, wondering if this kid was trying to rob me or something, "Do you want to watch the rest of the set with us?" She waved her arm vaguely toward the area the rowers were sitting in.

"I'd rather not." She glanced up at me, frowning slightly, "I mean, I don't really like plastered rowers. They're worse than plastered fifteen year olds." She laughed again, something I could quite easily get used to, and shook her head.

"No! Silly!" I imagined grabbing her and throttling her as she stood there, grinning, "Emmett and I aren't sitting with them tonight! I'm trying to hide from Jasper." She explained it as though she was trying to explain quantum physics to a two year old – slowly and patronizingly. "We've got a booth at the back. Come on…" She grabbed my hand and practically dragged me toward the low-lit booths at the back of the bar; forcing me to slide in next to a man I guessed was about seven feet tall.

"Oh, hello," He said absently, "You're not Alice." He craned his neck for the tiny girl as though he was concerned somebody would abduct her.

"No, I'm Rosalie."

"Oh." He said, then finally looked down at me, his eyes widening to the size of a coaster. "_Hello_, Rose. I'm Emmett." He extended his hand, but I merely looked at him, "Sorry, Alice is in a whole crock of shit tonight. I'm a little worried about her."

"Yeah, she's… er," I tried to remember how she had termed it, "Avoiding James? Jason? _Jasper!_" I clicked my fingers as I remembered. "I think she went back to the bar to get our drinks."

"Oh, right." And that was it. We were silent for a while, but it wasn't awkward, and, unlike the hummingbird, we didn't need to fill it with mindless chatter. We watched the band, and I started to take notes less and less as I looked at him. First, I just glanced – it was pretty nice to be able to sit next to someone like him without the whole _'I'm gonna try to cop a feel'_ thing going on, and I wouldn't lie and tell you he was unattractive. "Do you like them?" He said at the next lull in the music, Hummingbird-Alice still missing in action. "The band, I mean."

"They're a scruffy breath of fresh air." I shouted back, over the opening riff of only the second cover of the evening, or so they said, "And they like the Doctor, always a bonus."

"Don't Blink," He said, as though he was mulling it over, "I like them, they're good."

And as though it was some kind of jinx on their ability, there was a faltered, flat note, and the singer, Jasper, I think Alice had said, stopped singing and stared out into the crowd.

"Oh. Shit." He muttered into the mic, then as he remembered where he was he began to strum again, slipping back into the rhythm of the song easily.

Two minutes later, Alice, with panic written across her face, swept around the tables filled with the boys from the Rowing Club and reached us, tearing around like a hurricane.

"Ali? What happened?"

"I have to leave." She shouted, "Before the end of the song, I have to leave." She looked up at the band again, and ducked her head, shaking it, "Fuck, I have to leave." She looked at Emmett, then back at me, eyes wide and blazing with fear. "I'll see you at the trials tomorrow," She said, "Have a good one."

She leant over and kissed his cheek, then looked at me, grinned widely and wrapped her tiny arms around me, her grip surprisingly strong.

"It was nice meeting you, Rose," I nodded a 'likewise', and she smiled even wider, "I'm sorry I have to go, I'll see you again, I'm sure."

And with that, she grabbed her bag and jacket, and practically sprinted out of the bar, wrapping her arms around herself like a mini tornado.

"Okay, that was weird." I looked at Emmett for some kind of comfort, "Is she okay?"

"She's gone." Emmett said, "She'll be fine, I think."

**JPOV**

She was here. Mary-Alice Brandon was here. _Fuck._

I avoided the looks on the other guys faces as I apologized, found my place and carried on as if nothing had happened. But something had. _She had._ They didn't see my eyes, locked on Alice, following her every move. Singing away, I watched her go and speak to the big mountain of a man – Emmett, I think, hug a blonde girl and practically sprint out of the SU.

_Shit! _It was a complete surprise that she had showed, but I didn't want her to run out because of me. I'd speak to Emmett later, see if I could find out where she lived, go and straighten everything out.

The rest of the set finished without any major hiccups, even though my mind was on other things. We finished to a huge cheer and shouts for more, but we didn't provide – we had overrun anyway, and Edward always told us to "Keep 'em wanting more". We swiftly packed our gear away and headed to the bar, a drink was very definitely in order.

"Hey dude!" The yell came from across the bar, but before I could blink, the voice was right behind me, "That was fucking fantastic." My knees nearly gave way as Emmett's huge hand clapped me hard on the back. I smiled weakly, waiting for the interrogation that was sure to come.

"Thanks." I introduced Emmett to the guys, mainly because that way they would have a name to give to the police when I disappeared suddenly in the middle of the night. There was silence behind me, and I cringed, waiting for the pummeling that was sure to come. It didn't, and very slowly, I turned to look at him. He had taken a pen and paper from the blonde girl, and she was looking at him, more than a little confused as he shoved the sheet at me.

"Here's her address. Go get shit sorted." I glanced down at the page, and, indeed, there was a scribbled address in the centre. "See you at the meet tomorrow." With a nod, he took the blonde by the arm and they left the bar. Pretty soon, it was midnight, and I was alone with the dark haired girl behind the bar.

I finished my drink and caught myself in the mirror that backed the bar. No, I didn't want to be alone. I reckoned I should go and get myself a Pixie.

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**How would you hide away from the world?**

**x**


	5. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: Twilight is not ours. We don't own it. I own a new two-pints of milk I went out to buy tonight, though. I made coffee with it, it was **__**guuuud... **_

_**Enjoy!**_

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_**Chapter 4 APOV**_

I was completely out of breath when I got back to my dorm, having run nearly two miles in just under fifteen minutes. Still terrified, and with my heart hammering in my chest, I jammed my key into the lock and nearly snapped it in my rush to get inside, falling through the door as it opened faster than I had expected.

I slammed the door behind me and slithered to the floor, pressing my head to my knees and screaming into them in frustration. Why had I reacted like that? I should have stood my ground and acted cool. _Pfft_. _Alice Brandon __**never**__ acted cool, _my brain cruelly reminded me. Not only had I royally pissed Jasper off, I'd also managed to cause him to bugger up was seemed to be a ridiculously popular gig.

_I should seriously come with a health warning._

I stood and made my way into the tiny kitchen area and pulled open the freezer. A day like today only had one ending. _Me, the sofa and Vienetta_. I dumped a huge chunk into a bowl and left it on the side while I went to change into my pyjamas. Gotta love 'Hello Kitty'.

I had just settled down on the sofa and was about to find something mindless and numbing on TV when there was a hurried knock on my door.

"It's open Emm!" I wasn't about to get up just to let his ass in. I was too comfy for that. "What the hell are you - fuck it, Vienetta's in the freezer." I shouted as I shovelled more in my mouth. I flicked through the channels, finally settling on a Doctor Who rerun. David Tennant was _seriously_ cute. I could hear Emmett in the kitchen getting himself some ice cream. He was being far quieter than usual though, and I wondered whether it was because I'd annexed his semi-date with Rosalie so quickly. Was he going to have a go at me?

I snuggled down under the blue fleece that was ever present on my sofa and actually started to get into the show. I'd missed most of it, but it seemed to involve statues that had to be watched all the time. _Don't Blink. Oh how ironic. I can't even escape Jasper in my own flat._

"Hurry up Emm!" I yelled. What on earth was taking him so long? He knew my tiny kitchen like the back of his hand. I shovelled the last of my ice cream in my mouth and placed the bowl on the tiny coffee table. Finally I heard him making his way to join me. "You took your sweet ass time."

"Sorry, I couldn't find a bowl." Okay. What? That was _not_ Emmett's voice. I sat up, finding something to throw at the intruder, and slowly turned round to see Jasper stood in the doorway, a bowl of _**my**_ Vienetta in his hand and a hesitant smile on his face. I opened my mouth to say something, but my brain was refusing to pass messages to my voice box. It was, however, shrieking at me in the style of a policeman talking to a kidnapper.

_You're holding up a fluffy slipper. You're holding up a fluffy fucking slipper. Put the slipper down, Miss Brandon. Put. The. Slipper. Down!_

"What. The. Fuck?" I managed to stutter. "How did you get in?"

"You said the door was open…" He trailed off, gesturing toward the door with a spoon coated in melted ice-cream. _My _meltedice-cream.

"I also said _Emm. _Not you." A pause where his mouth dropped open, and the spoon he was holding came dangerously close to falling to the floor and damaging _my _carpet, along with _my _pride, _my _ice-cream and _my _night.

I was so close to screaming, it was nearly making my head explode.

"Well," He muttered, "I'm very sorry," and it was the hoity-toity, _I'm better than you are_, accent that made me see bright green. And that was worse than me seeing red.

"Fuck you." I muttered, glancing at the ice-cream in his hand. "Are you going to eat that?"

"Sorry?" And I think I may have stunned him entirely.

Taking that as my cue to be the sneak thief that I so clearly was, I launched myself over the back of the sofa and diving for the large and wonderful bowl of cold, sugary sweetness that he was holding.

With an epic commando roll, I had the damn thing. And he was standing there, staring at me lying on the floor. _Fuck him. And the cute smirk on his beautiful face._

"What the hell are you doing?" He had the audacity to ask me that, still holding the spoon and looking down his nose at me. I did the mature thing and ignored him completely. He followed me to the kitchen and simply watched me as I sat down at the tiny table and stared into the bowl, pulling out another spoon and slowly chewing my way through the ice-cream, then looked up at him, smiled and shrugged at him.

"Eating. How can I help you today, Doctor?" And as I spoke, I watched him glance down and awkwardly tug at his bow tie, his face flaming.

"Jasper." He eventually muttered.

"Doctor?" Another pause, "I'm Alice, actually. I think Jasper's the douchebag that's trying to pull you off in a shitty pub band." Below the belt I know, but what did I have to lose?

"We're not shitty!" He slammed his hands down on the table and I felt the thrill of fear as his green eyes glinted at me furiously and he leaned over the table, a quiet growl leaving his lips. I leaned back in my chair, rocking dangerously on the back legs and grinned back at him, running my finger around the empty bowl of ice-cream and licking it as he watched.

"So, you're protective of the band, Jazz?" He stared at me, and I blinked back at him, silence enveloping the pair of us as we simply looked at each other. I welcomed the tenseness, it took away from my inherent need to shout something inappropriate, and he also seemed to be drinking it in and trying to mould it his own way.

I swiped my finger around the bowl again and licked away the residue slowly. His eyes were trained on my lips, his hands twitching violently as he stared at me and I found myself enjoying this more and more with every second that passed.

"Jazz?" Another pause, and his lips parted slightly, his tongue darting out to wet them.

"You're a harlot." He managed to murmur, finally wrenching his eyes away from my lips.

"I prefer Scarlet Woman," I smirked, "Hence the nails, Doctor." Then, with a wink, I rose and stepped into the living room. "Why're you here, anyway? Shouldn't you be out saving humankind with your assistant? Or playing the Gig still?" I tried to be airy about it, attempted nonchalance, but guilt was gnawing at me and my heart and head were pounding.

Jasper folded himself into the rickety chair opposite me. The table was so small I could feel his knees rubbing against mine, tiny sparks of electricity jolted me with every touch.

"The gig finished half an hour ago, and my assistant had a date, so I got talking to Emmett" I groaned aloud, knowing exactly where this conversation was going to go. "He told me where you'd be and I realised that we needed to talk about what happened this afternoon."

I fiddled with my spoon waiting for the onslaught.

"I'm sorry." His voice was gentle. I looked up and found myself drowning in his mesmerising eyes. "I should never have yelled at you like that."

"You... what?" I didn't expect him to say anything like that. "I should be saying the same." I dropped the spoon back into the bowl and shook my head, knowing I was ridiculous, "I shouldn't have snapped - you were only trying to help."

"It's okay, Alice," He stared for a minute, "I shouldn't have tried to-"

"I didn't get a lot of help when I was a kid," I waved off his explanation and he raised an eyebrow at me, "I guess I just needed to get used to someone... being there, to catch me, you know?"

He caught my hand between his own strong fingers and brought it to his impossibly soft lips. "Shall we both put an end to this nonsensical apology crap?" He looked at me again, turning my knees to jelly

I was simply glad I was sitting down.

"Why not," I grinned, and he smiled back at me, his eyes searching my face as we sat there for a long time in silence. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Alice Brandon."

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_A/N: Any Thoughts?_


	6. Chapter 5

_**DISCLAIMER: We don't own Twilight, But I do own a copy of "THE WORST CASE SCENARIO: Travel Handbook"!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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Chapter 5

_**EmPOV**_

I had a fairly long break between lectures, so I made my way to the SU for a bite to eat and a coffee. It was surprising to see Alice and Rosalie sat together looking as if they were Pinky and the Brain, plotting to take over the world. I grabbed a plate of Lasagne and headed over to join them.

"Ladies." I sat next to Alice as Rosalie had filled the chair next to her with her laptop and I was sure she wouldn't appreciate me sitting on that.

"Hey hun." Alice beamed at me.

"You're in a good mood." I waggled my eyebrows at her suggestively. "Nice _early_ night?" The punch on my arm had no effect other than to cause me to laugh at her.

"What would you know about my early night, hmmm?" _Uh oh_. The Alice glare. I coughed and tucked into my food. "Thought as much mister." She turned to speak to Rosalie. "Sorry for that rude interruption. You were telling me about the review. When is it going to be printed?" I tuned them out and ate my food. It tasted like absolute cardboard, but I was a growing boy and need to bulk up for training tonight. "EMMETT!" Alice's shrill voice made me jump.

"What?" I shook my head to clear it.

"I was asking if it was ok for Rosalie to come to training. She's thinking of interviewing the team in preparation for the big race."

"Sure, that would be great. We could do with the exposure to be honest. Ali, I'll leave you to give the _beautiful_ Rosalie the details, I need to run, my lecture starts in ten." I gave them both a 100 watt Emmett special smile, grabbed my stuff and left them to it. I liked the idea of being alone with Rosalie, maybe….

_**JPOV**_

I woke to the smell of bacon cooking and almost flew out of bed. I legged it down the stairs to find one of the Bens had left me a Bacon sandwich on the table covered in foil before leaving for a lecture. I _loved_ those guys. I sat down and tucked in. I was lecture and work free today. What to do? I finished up and was just about to hit the shower when my mobile went off.

**Dnt 4get training m8 – Emm**

Training? Oh _shit_! It was then that everything came flooding back to me and I remembered.

"Oh, god." My head fell into my hands as I looked at my watch; I had twenty minutes to get my arse down to the Cam.

Fifteen minutes later, I was dressed in tracksuit bottoms and a tshirt and running at full pelt down to where the team trained. I was lucky my digs were close to the river.

I skidded to a halt on the bank in what was probably my personal best. Three minutes to get from the flat to the river. I could see the lads carrying the boat with Alice behind them alongside the blonde girl from the gig… _Rosalie_ was it, her tiny frame seemingly having no trouble carrying a pair of heavy blades.

Slowing up to a jog, I crossed to the group and looked them up and down. They were _huge. _There was no kind of intermediate size between them and me – I was skinny and pointlessly built, and they were… _woah._

"G'mornin', tiger," Alice greeted me with a large smile and a small nod of her head. "Nice to see you've turned up, and just in time."

"Emmett thought you'd pussied out," Rosalie was blunt, but she was smiling, "You don't look particularly… _ready _to row." She indicated my aging trackies and tee.

"I figured today would just be an… introduction?" I looked to Alice for help, but she just seemed amused, "Apparently not."

"What?" She pretended to be insulted and held up the blades like a warrior princess. They towered over her, "I figured throwing you in at the deep end would be rather fun."

_Bitch. _

"What!" I couldn't help but gasp out the words as she shrugged simply and shouldered the blades again, calling out to Emmett, who turned around and nearly dropped his part of the boat when he saw me.

"Douchesper! You showed Dude!" He called, seemingly overjoyed, tugging lightly at his wetsuit-shorts and looking back at me with a small smile. "Pixie, you were right! He wasn't a sniveling coward, but he is dressed _all wrong_." I couldn't quite stop the snigger at that comment.

She giggled at him and elbowed him in the chest lightly. Not being entirely sure where we stood as a friendship, or couple or whatever, I was forced to watch this with an entirely false smile plastered onto my face as she got progressively more violent, and a lot closer to Emmett than I had ever seen a girl get with a guy who they deemed _just good friends._

Rosalie, on the other hand, was standing to the side, holding the blades that Alice had abandoned, and was rooting way too hard for the pixie-sized girl. Eventually, Emmett got a really good grip on Alice's shoulders, and grabbed her by the back-hem of her t-shirt, which I realised was only _just _covering a strappy top and shorts, and lifted her into the air.

"You're going in, Pixie-Cox!" Emmett yelled, catching the attention of all of the guys who had been taking their time to put the boat into the water. They turned as one and began to cheer loudly, laughing as Alice squirmed and fought, and I almost wanted to start a fight to get her out of his hands – he looked as though he was going to hurt her, or throw her into the river. I took a step forward, almost ready to launch forward, but Rosalie gripped my arm and pulled me back a little way.

"Wait." She commanded, and I had to obey, forced to watch as Emmett unceremoniously dumped Alice into the water headfirst. I had an overwhelming urge to kick the huge guy's arse knowing I would be flattened within about three seconds. Alice was too small for all this rough and tumble, I really wanted to protect her.

The splash was immense as she went in, and came up shaking with laughter and utterly covered in pond weed. Emmett waded in after her and lifted her up onto the bank, smacking her backside hard as he put her down.

_What the hell was going on?_

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Opiniones?


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